The Portland daily press., 1887-11-30
John F. Ames, Kenduskeag.
Revenue Legislation.

nGNCu6C &S5tSs&stSHs
What can or should be done in the way Of
revenue legislation ?" asked correspondent
of Congressman Butterworth today.
"Well, we ought 4 stop .the collection Of
more revenue than we need and judiciously
expend the surplus on hand in making nee
essary internal improvements and for other
purposes. Can we do anything to stop the
inflow of more money than we need? / do
not know how the Republicans can do it
while in minority. The trouble is that
while we are ready to revise the tariff, to cor
rect inequalities. and in cases where we have
reached condition Of Industrial independ-
ence to have ii so nominated in the bond,
but at the same time to preserve the system.
the Democrats want revision simply as
pretext to assault and destroy the system
itself. Therefore do not regard the pros
pect of a revision of the tariff at this session
as hopeful. 1t is the duty OF Republicans to
maintain the doctrine of protection to Amer
lean Industry; The Democrats conceive IT to
be their mission to overthrow that doctrine.
The truth is that the Democratic party today
represents the inertia of civilization. If the
Republicans do good thing, a thing which
everybody admits to be good, the Democrats
sit back and say, Huh huhl we could do
better than that; but they never do"
Mr.. Cannon, of Illinois, said: Il do not
see that we are to have anything to say about
revenue legislation. The Democrats have
majority, and they may do something. l sup
pose it will depend upon Mr.. Randall"
Mr.. Whitthorne of Tennessee, said: "A
revise the tariff"
Dining the Commissioners.
Two handsome entertainments were given
this evening in honor of the English and Ca
madam members of the fisheries commission.
Hon. Francis Wharton, examiner of claims
of the State Department gave reception at
his residence, and later, Messrs. Putnam
and Angell.gaye them an elegant dinner ID
the hall of the johnson annex, Arlington
Hotel.
Minneapolis Wants the Convention.
Senator-elect Davis, Chief Clerk johnson,
of the Senate, and other Minnesota men
who have arrived in this city say that the
people of Minneapolis and ST. Paul, as well
as of Minnesota and Dakota generally, are
in dead earnest and mean to have the Repub-
lican national Convention held in the former
city If it is within the bounds of possibility.
A large delegation of prominent Minnesota
and Dakota Republicans will arrive in
this city December 9th, prepared to impress
the Republican National Committee with
the Importance of their mission. Among
L0c TtdaOUS WulCH Will Db QlkCQ III Va
Minneapolis is that the refusal to admit
Dakota into the union will be a prominent
issue in the Presidential campaign. IL is
proposed in case the convention is held IN
Minneapolis to have grand excursion to
give delegates and other prominent hepuD-
licans an opportunity to see the Territory
for themselves ard judge of its claims.
Among other advantages which VIII be
dwelt upon are that Minneapolis has mag
nifcent hall, with seating capacity OF 2O,-
M that the numlQr can flQQ GOOD
hotel accommodations in that town and In
st. Paul and other places within hfteen
minutes ride by rail.
Senator BIair's Seat.
Senator Blair of New Hampshire has as
tonished his Republican colleagues in the
Senate by changing his seat to the Demo-
cratic side Of the chamber. Blair's old seat
was in very inconvenient place and so stu
ated that he could not catch the eye Of the
presiding officer even if the latter was desir-
GUS of having IT caught. Blair has therefore
taken Senator Fairs old seat, which Is di-
rectly opposite the presiding officers chair.
The educational bill may perhaps now have
better chance. The method Of obtaining
seats in the Senate is much different from
the plan in the House. In the latter body 1t
is done by lottery. In the Senate seats are
spoken for in advance, and the applications
are recorded in old Captain Bassett's book.
"First come, first served" is the rule.
There are so many new Senators this year
that there will be a general change In the
arrangement of seats.
The Chicago Waiting for Guns.
Some four months ago it was semi-oficial-
ly announced with something of flourish
that the Chicago was virtually completed
and was a credible addition to the Navy.
Now comes Chief Sicard of the ordinance
bureau with his official report which IN sub
stance admits that many months must elapse
before the Chicago will be man-of-war, ac-
cording to any proper definition Of that
term. The 5-inch guns and 6-inch guns are
ready, he says, together with most OF the
carriages for the latter. Butthe S-inch guns
and their carriages are still things OF
the future. "We must have more money or
we cannot go on" says Chief Slcard in effect.
In other words nothing more can be dom,
toward the armament Of the Chicago until
Congress has made an appropriation ana the
the easy going ordinance bureau has expend-
ed it. Chief Sicard does not make It quite
clear why no progress has been made toward
the conversion Of the Washington Navy
Yard into an ordinance foundry. for which
purpose an appropriation of $1,C00,C00 has
been available for the past 16 months Prac-
tically nothing has been done toward carry
ing out the design of Congr ess in that re-
spect, and until 1t is done the making Of
S-inch guns and carriages must proceed at
snaiPs pace. Perhaps Secretary Whitney in
| his annual report may be able to justify his
procrastination, but officers Of the navy
shrug their shoulders and say nothing when
asked TO do so. Well-informed officers as
sert that the Chicago cannot be made ready
fer a sea cruise inside OF two years.
Those Confederate Bonds.
| [IWithin few weeks inquiries have been
made in certain quarters by persons holding
high official positions in both England and
| Holland as to the probabilities of the United
States government assuming the Confederate
debt Any serious proposition to pay the
| Confederate debt cannot be conceived of,
because in an entirely improbable event of
public sentiment in any section favoring
such an idea, the direct and positive prohi-
! hilton of the 14th amendment to the Consti-
| tuition stands in the way. 1t has been gen.
| erally supposed that the bulk of the
| Confederate bonds were held in England,
| bnt this is not the case. The major portion
| is in the hands Of investors in the rich Dutch
| cities, and it is the representatives of these
interests who have been quietly making the
| inouiries above alluded to. The scheme as
| proposed by them was to submit an offer to
| take one half of the amount off of their
| hands. and to help the cause along they were
| to contribute large fund, part of which was
| to nav the lobbyists or Counsel and the
| other to be put where it would do the most
| good among members Of Congress.
The Anarchists, Mar Cry